


The Book of Lies

by sunflower_swan



Series: DA Discord Flash Fics [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Diary/Journal, Dumbledore's Armada's Judged by the Cover Flash Comp, Friendship, Gen, Light Angst, POV Draco Malfoy, Platonic Relationships, Therapy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-15
Updated: 2020-12-15
Packaged: 2021-03-11 04:07:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 958
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28088991
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunflower_swan/pseuds/sunflower_swan
Summary: Draco is dealing with the bullshit of his childhood to help him move on with his life. With Blaise's encouragement, he finds the exercise of journaling more therapeutic than expected.
Relationships: Draco Malfoy & Blaise Zabini
Series: DA Discord Flash Fics [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2162157
Comments: 34
Kudos: 22
Collections: Judged by the Cover





	The Book of Lies

**Author's Note:**

  * In response to a prompt by [ravenslight](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ravenslight/pseuds/ravenslight) in the [judgedbythecover](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/judgedbythecover) collection. 



_I used to think the world was black and white._

_Good and evil._

_Light and dark._

_And it is… just not in the way I was raised to believe._

_What’s the difference between a truth and a lie? Simple. Even if it is fundamentally false, a lie is only a lie if one believes it to be untrue._

_Before I could walk and talk, it was ingrained in me that blood status was the only thing that mattered. The_ _only_ _thing. Half-bloods, blood traitors, Muggle-borns… beneath me… not worthy to lick the dust off my expensive shoes._

_That was my truth._

_It was a flawed truth. No… it was wrong. Full stop. I know that now._

_I could fill a book with the lies my father fed me._

Draco read over the words he had written so far. He still thought this was an idiotic exercise in futility. But he had promised Blaise he would try, so try he must. Even if it meant exploring the dark corners of his soul… and his past.

He rubbed his eyes and yawned before falling back onto his lush pillows, and let the notebook fall to the floor.

~~~~~

The next morning, he walked into the corner coffee shop to find Blaise waiting for him. His friend leaned against the counter, flashing his pearly whites at the unsuspecting Muggle barista. She giggled into her hand and passed him a scrap of paper.

Standing in front of the till, Draco crossed his arms and tapped his foot.

The giggly young woman noticed him -- finally -- and Blaise made unending promises to call her. Promises which Draco knew the roguish man never intended to keep.

He ordered a Caffe Mocha. With it in one hand and his notebook in the other, he trudged over to where Blaise lolled at a small, iron pedestal table with a round, cherry wood top.

Draco slipped into the metal cafe chair across from his friend and waited for… 

“So?” Blaise raised a brow.

_There it is._

“So… what?” Draco sipped the warm, velvety drink and surveyed Blaise over the rim.

Blaise rolled his eyes and let out a huff. “You know _what_ , you obtuse prat.”

Draco slid the notebook across the table and chuckled. It was fun to wind him up.

Slipping him a curious glance, Blaise asked, “What’s this?”

“That kooky Mind Healer you recommended to me insisted I start a journal like some teenage girl.”

“Luna is not a kook.”

“Says you,” Draco muttered into his mug. 

“Can I read it?”

Draco waved his hand, palm up, as if to say, _get on with it._

While Blaise read, high cheekbones resting on dark, golden-brown knuckles, Draco fidgeted. It’s not like Blaise didn’t already know everything about him. They’d been best friends for over ten years and shared a dorm for most of them. Nevertheless, Draco found himself crossing and uncrossing his legs, tapping his fingers on the table, and picking at invisible lint on his sleeve.

Quietly turning a page, Blaise brought his white, ceramic cup to his lips.

 _Perhaps caffeine was a poor choice,_ Draco thought as he failed to sit still. 

Finally, Blaise closed the notebook and blinked.

Draco held his breath.

“Will you?” Blaise asked, expression soft.

That was not the reaction Draco was expecting. “Will I… what?” he asked, confused.

“How did you put it…? ” Blaise flipped open the notebook. “... Fill a book with the lies your father told you?”

Draco reached across the table, gently pulling the notebook from Blaise’s grasp and held it tight to his chest. “No.”

Blaise shook his head. “You’re my best friend and as your friend, I think it would help you move on with your life.”

“Been talking to Loony about me?” Draco asked coolly.

“I’ve known you long enough to know what’s going on inside that head; I don’t need to talk to Luna.” Blaise checked his watch. “Shit. I have to leave or I’ll be late for a meeting.” 

He looked at Draco with sincerity etched in his features and added, “Think about it. I’ll see you later.”

Draco nodded and gave him a mock salute. Blaise winked, sauntering out the door and down the sidewalk.

~~~~~

Long after Blaise left, Draco stayed at the coffee shop, tapping the open notebook with his pen and marking tiny, black ink dots in the corner without conscious thought. Coming to a decision he didn’t realize he was making, he grasped the pen with purpose and set it to a fresh, blank page.

At the top, he wrote an underlined heading but quickly struck it out.

~~_Lies Of My Father_ ~~

_No…_ He snapped his fingers as a better title swept into his brain.

_The Book of Lies_

Under the new heading, he wrote:

_#1: Pure-blood witches and wizards are the only friends worthy of your time and energy._

Draco paused to think back on his childhood pure-blood friends. None of them turned out to be _real_ friends, except Blaise and Pansy. The others used him for his power and station, and when he no longer had either, they abandoned him. Potter helped him, even saved his life. Granted, Potter also almost killed him… so Draco considered it a draw.

_#2: Only pure-bloods are entitled to learn and preserve magic. The rest are worthless; it’s not made for them._

Amusement warmed him as Granger’s face swam into his mind’s eye. That cheeky, daring witch was bright as fuck and better than a dozen snobbish pure-bloods. The magical world would be worth much less without her in it.

Twilight fell, the moon rose, and the world outside turned darker. Draco filled page after page, feeling a brightness rise in his chest as he expunged years of filth from his subconscious.

**Author's Note:**

> THANK YOU to my alpha/beta. This literally would not have been anything without you! XOXO
> 
> Find me on [Tumblr](https://sunflower-swan.tumblr.com/)! XOXO
> 
> Winner: Best Use of Prompt!


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